Kirill Dmitriev Links Up Russia & US with Aid from Saudi Arabia
US-Russia delegations at Riyadh meeting (Image credit X.com)
Kirill Dmitriev Exploits Middle East Investment Fund Links for Russia-US Détente
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, February 27: Investment Fund Manager Kirill Dmitriev has emerged as a power broker between Russia and the US. Dmitriev is also calling shots with trust of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Middle East pave a crucial role in the Russia-US breakthrough. Dmitriev was pivotal in his outreach with the US.
Steve Witkoff, the Middle East top envoy of the US, teamed up with Dmitriev. Both were brought together by reigning Saudi Arabia ruler Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Reports said that Dmitriev had long-standing relations with the Saudi Arabia ruler.
The Economist in a report sad that “when the Kremlin’s men met Donald Trump’s diplomats in Saudi Arabia on February 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dmitriev set out numbers”. Dmitriev set the template for the US to toe Russia.
Dmitriev told reporters after taking part in the Riyadh meeting that the “US lost $324 billion by leaving Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine”. “Why not come back,” The Economist quoted Dmitriev asking, as he found the Americans getting interested.
Reports said that the US and Russia discussed energy partnership along with the Ukraine War in the Riyadh meeting. The two sides also discussed roadmap to normalise ties. The diplomats of Russia and the US are holding talks in Istanbul for restoring diplomatic ties.
Dmitriev is now the head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund. He is described by multiple media reports to have the ears of Putin.
Al Arabia News in a report quoted Dmitriev, saying that he “found the US team in the Riyadh talks to be very smart”. Dmitriev praised Witkoff’s knowledge of history, said Al Arabia in a report.
The Riyad meeting saw the Russian side represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov and Dmitriev. The US was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Witkoff.
The Financial Times in a report described Dmitriev as “US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker”. He has no formal diplomatic role, said the London-based daily. It also stated that “Dmitriev cut an unexpected figure at the talks next to more conventional members of the Russian delegation such as foreign minister Sergei Lavrov”.
The Hill in a report in the Riyadh talk said that “Dmitriev is a friend of the Putin family”. The Hill quoted Sam Greene, director for democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis, saying: “Dmitriev is very close to one of Putin’s daughters. I think, if anything, he’s there to be Putin’s inherently trusted eyes and ears in the conversation — to make sure people like Ushakov and Lavrov don’t begin to freelance.”
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